(This isn't MY 3D ultrasound but they send the picture in my weekly email and thought it would be cool to share!)

How your baby's growing:

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. (I can tell that s/he's growing! I can feel exactly how high my uterus right now.) Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. (And soon enough I'm sure I will be begging her or him to stop kicking me in the ribs!) These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming. (I remember Caleb hiccuped ALL the time!)

How your life's changing:

If you're like most women, you're feeling a bit more energetic (FINALLY!!!) now and your nausea may be starting to wane. (Still the same, not bad at all) Unfortunately, you may also be suffering from constipation (caused by hormonal changes, which can slow digestion) and heartburn (hormones again, relaxing the valve between your stomach and esophagus). Just remember, all this discomfort is for a good cause. (Ya, ok. Just playin!)

Don't worry if nausea has made it impossible for you to eat a wide variety of healthy foods or if you haven't put on much weight yet (most women gain just 2 to 5 pounds during the first trimester). (Haven't been weighing myself, I'll let you know --maybe-- at my next appointment)Your appetite will likely return soon, and you'll start to gain about a pound a week.

I’ve noticed lots of stretchy pains going on. And Oh My Gosh I have to pee like every 20 minutes, it’s ridiculously annoying!

My tummy is starting to harden up a bit, I can feel it and tell where the top of my uterus is. And it seems to be pushing everything else up and out.

My back pain and I have reunited. I PRAY it does not get bad like it did with Caleb.

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry. Growing fast!

If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, Green?as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, And I'm sure will be incredibly intelligent! and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body. Amazing how this can happen to something so tiny.

How your life's changing:

Your uterus has doubled in size in the past five weeks, Still not showing! and eating may feel like a chore — or worse — thanks to morning sickness, which by now may be in full swing. Today I felt ok but the past week I wasn't feeling so hot and one day threw up four times! (If you're feeling fine, don't worry — you're lucky! Whatever! I don't have too many nice words for expectant mothers' who don't get sick!)

You may need to pee more than usual, Uh a lot more! too, thanks to your increasing blood volume and the extra fluid being processed through your kidneys. (By now, you already have about 10 percent more blood than you did before you were pregnant. Didn't know that! And by the end of your pregnancy, you'll have 40 to 45 percent more blood running through your veins to meet the demands of your full-term baby.) As your uterus grows, pressure on your bladder will send you to the bathroom as well. Oh yes I remember that well.

About half of the women who feel nauseated during the first trimester will find complete relief by about 14 weeks. Great, only 7 more weeks of it to go. For most of the rest, it'll take another month or so for the queasiness to ease up. It's unlikely, though, that the need to pee more than usual will ease up. In fact, research shows that both the frequency and volume of urine tends to increase over the course of pregnancy.

And the tiredness. Oh my goodness! I have been SO tired! Like I could sleep ALL DAY LONG!

So I think I finally feel pregnant. The nausea sucks big time!!! I pray I don’t have it as much as last time!!!

I’ve had lots of little stretchy sharp pains in my lower abdomen. Especially when I sneeze or cough. He or she is a growing kid.

I’m still not showing but that’s ok, I still need to keep it quiet from work for another couple months if possible.

And I swear I can smell everything under the sun strongly. I don’t remember ever getting that with Caleb.

My baby turned eight on Wednesday and we celebrated with some good ol’ Chuck E Cheese fun! He had lots of his friends there, received some great gifts and played games like crazy. He was one happy kid.

I loved it when Chuck E. came out and sang to him! He got so embarrassed but you could totally tell he was loving it!

This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. (He still looks a little silly) If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. (Amazing how early their hearts develop and beat) His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.(That's my boy, or girl, growing nice and big!)

How your life's changing:

(This still cracks me up!) You may find yourself developing a bit of a split personality — feeling moody (I haven’t been too bad yet. Or at least I don’t think so anyway. Ask Jarred) one day and joyful the next. Unsettling as this is (especially if you pride yourself on being in control), what you're going through is normal. Ricocheting emotions are caused partly by fluctuating hormones. But hormones aside, your life is about to change in a big way — and who wouldn't feel emotional about that?

Spotting or bleeding is relatively common in early pregnancy, affecting up to a quarter of pregnant women. It may occur in a normal pregnancy, but sometimes it can be the first sign of miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy.(Don’t you like how they throw that out there, since of course, most pregnant women are scared out of their minds anyway!)

So far I haven’t had too much of a change. I feel nauseous a lot but not enough to throw up. My mom bought me the motion sickness bracelets and those things are amazing. Slap them on and in like two minutes I’m better. I pray I don’t get sick like I did with Caleb. I think I did enough sickness to last me through four pregnancies!

And I know you are supposed to gain weight while pregnant but I seem to be loosing weight. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as I gain when I’m supposed to. Might as well get skinny before I get big.

Eight years ago I held you for the first time in my arms and when you finished screaming your head off you just stared at me and I back. I studied your face, your eyes, your ears, all of you. Wondering what you would be like when you got older. And here you are, half way to a full blown teenager.

Some things I predicted. Such as your strong head and your cute blonde hair. Some things have taken me by surprise though. Like your height.

I’ve noticed a lot over this past year how much you really have grown up. You’re in to big boy things, although you still like some toys such as Legos and the occasional hot wheel or Ninja Turtle figure.

I think it’s funny how you think girls have coodies. I promise not all of them do.

You’re not totally into girls yet but you do think a few of them are cute. You’re funny because you are scared to tell her. You are totally a ladies man too! You’ve got what, three girls “in love” with you. I have a feeling this will not cease anytime soon.

You have gained quite the since of humor in the past year too. Just recently you actually started to take the jokes too and not just give them left and right.

Son I am truly blessed that I have got to spend these past eight years with you. You are an amazing soul with a strong, gentle heart.

Since this blog is my way to track and share my life and family, I see no better place to track this new member to our family. So every week I will post my weekly update I receive in email and add some notes as I go along.

Now I know I have some baby fat left over from the first one (Although I’ve lost about 6 or so pounds, yeah me!), so that’s not new baby right there. But I thought it would be fun to take a weekly picture and post it along with my weekly update. I think I have like three pictures of me pregnant with Caleb.

The countdown is quickly coming to an end for your 8th birthday. You keep asking me to buy you lots of things and I keep reminding you how close your birthday is so you’ll just have to wait. Which you think is totally not fair. And like I’ve said before and probably will say each year, it totally shocks me how old you are getting and how fast time goes by.

We took you to the pumpkin patch but it wasn’t all that fun. I think you would have spent all day in the bounce house though if I would let you. You were a little spooked at the animals you go to pet though. At least no geese chased you. Although that would have been funny to watch.

You had lots of fun at Halloween. Your dad came over and we trick or treated the street and got a ridiculous amount of candy for it. However you had the most fun scaring the kids! You were super scary too! You would jump right out in front of the kids and almost make them pee their pants. You were very entertaining.

You lost another tooth the other day. And you really almost lost it for good when you spit it in the trash along with the carrots you were eating because there was something “really gross” in the carrots. Your face was priceless and then even better when I pointed it out the “really gross” thing was your tooth. Kid you got $5 for that tooth! Talk about inflation!

We also reached a huge milestone in my book. You cut your hair! And it looks great! I love when you spike it up. It makes you look like a kid right out of the 80’s. It fits your personality so much.

I was so proud of you when I got your report card! You got A’s and B’s and an S+ in handwriting. Caleb you are amazing and so smart. I hope you always remember what you are capable of and how far you can go in life.

I love you so much kid. I am so proud of you and love watching you grow into a boy each month. You area constantly making me laugh and pull my hair out at the same time. You are truly an all American Boy.

Two months and counting until you will be 8 years old. You have decided you want your birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese and I have just booked it. I am STILL in shock that you will be eight.

When you turned one-five, I thought it was the coolest thing ever and couldn’t wait to see you grow. Now that you are turning eight, I realize just how fast time really does fly and I want you to just stay little. I miss cuddling with you. I miss kissing you goodbye without you getting all embarrassed. I miss your hugs, which are hard to get now. I miss you being a little boy.

Caleb I swear you get taller and taller each week. You are a head taller then all the other boys on your soccer team and most of them in your class. Everyone’s first reaction when they meet you and find out how old you are is, “Wow he’s really tall!” You want to play basketball and I think your height will really help you out with this.

Everyday when I pick you up from school I always ask you what your favorite part of the day is. And everyday you always answer, “playing tetherball”. Kid, you love this game! And even though everyday you also have some new cut from a ‘ropie’ or a bruise on your arm from a ‘bomb’ you keep getting back in there and playing. I think this is all you do at recess.

Soccer is almost over and I think you’re happy. You seem to be loosing your enthusiasm when playing a game. You are like me in so many ways, one main way is you go in strong with the best of intentions and bore easily. Then after you haven’t done it for a while you decide you miss it and want to play it again.

I love our playing catch times. We can go on for hours playing catch and we just talk and talk. You like to come up with quirky ways to play catch like, whomever misses the ball is a moose. Oh Caleb, how I love your quirkiness.

I have always tried to take lots of pictures of you. I’m so afraid that I will not be able to remember key times in your life and I never want to forget any part of it. You, however, are not a huge fan of having pictures taken and Lord help me if I’m trying to get a normal picture of you since you think it’s SO fun to make a goofy face right before I snap the pictures. Or better yet you get annoyed and won’t look at the camera. Trust me someday a future girlfriend is going to want to see these pictures!

You have this hair thing going on right now. While I think you are absolutely handsome no matter what, you have decided you want to grow out your hair. This is very hard for me. Dude, your hair is EVERYWHERE! I understand that this is just the beginning though…next thing I know you and I will be having disagreements on what you wear to school. As long as you wear boy’s pants and no makeup I think I’ll be ok.

Every morning I always tell you I love you with all my heart and soul. I do son. I really do. You are an amazing person and I learn so much from you. I thank God every day for trusting me to raise you, although sometimes I don’t know what he was thinking!

I love Fall. Fall means it’s time to break out the pumpkin spice candles and the cute sweaters that get locked away in the closet for the summer.

There is one road in particular that I love in the Fall. As you drop down the hill all you see is an array of beautifully colored trees to each side of you. I get so lost in them.

The days get cooler and shorter and the thought of hot apple cider makes me smile. The pumpkin patch trip will be here shortly and I am starting to get out the Fall decorations with a hint of Halloween.

I can’t wait to help Caleb pick out his Halloween costume and cover the front yard with spider webs.

You just completed your first week of 3rd grade. You didn’t really have much to say about it which is like you, unless of course we’re talking about Pokémon or Phenius and Pherb – then you have a million and one things to say about it. Your teacher is ok and nice enough you say and that everything you’ve been doing is review stuff so it’s really easy. However you were with your dad all week, so I only got to talk to you about it while taking you to school. I love being able to take you to school every morning and this is something I will really miss when I get a new job.

It amazes me how you have jumped from a Kindergartener

to a third grader

Next thing I know you will be graduating high school, but I’m just going to shove that out of my head right now.

I want to start writing monthly letters to you as sort of a way to recap your growing up. Yes I know you are already 7 years, 8 months, 13 hours, 39 minutes, and 2 seconds old and I wished I would have started this when you were a baby, just like I really wish I had a big piece of cheesecake right now! But, better late then never huh?

You were sad to see summer break go but ready to see your friends at school. I was ready to get back into a routine. Summer really throws things off you know. You stayed up waaay too late and watched waaay too much tv, which you totally loved!

I’m not completely sure where you came from; perhaps you were sent by aliens because you really want to do your homework. You have since you started school. It would almost be a more affective punishment to not let you do your homework then to ground you for a week. Don’t get me wrong, this is a really good thing, it just completely surprises me because I would have rather let someone yank out my teeth then do my homework.

I talk about you all the time and how smart you are, because really it’s true and I think everyone needs to know it! Oh and I make sure to tell everyone how much you rock at soccer too! Really, you are like totally awesome at it! I was so upset that I didn’t get to see your last game when you made a goal! So not fair, I think you’re dad should have hit pause until I could be there. Don’t worry I talked to him about it and let him know he should always carry his pause button because you are always full of suprises.

Along with being awesome at school and sports you have a very strong, stubborn side to you which I’m completely sure you get from me. Just ask Grandma and Papa, they’ll tell you. Like for instance you and me went for a bike ride the other day. Remember? The one where you flat out decided you weren’t going to push your bike up the hill. Ya, that one. Now dear, sweet son I would have totally helped you carry your bike up that hill so you could just give in and have someone else do it for you but I wanted to teach you the value of completing something and to keep on keeping on when times get tough. Plus man I already had my own bike I had to push up this horribly steep hill and it really wasn’t possible to push two up! So seriously man, two people having a strong will in the same household, not a good thing. One of us needs to loose it! So you sat there for at least a good fifteen minutes throwing a really big fit while I tried my best to talk you up the hill but dude, you really know which buttons to push to make me jump out of my mind. It’s a darn thing you’re cute because sometimes I want to ship you back off to the aliens.So little man, here’s to another month.

I survived another week with two kids! Good job me! They were like fabulous until the weekend I went camping again. And then, then they decided that they had to be as mean as possible to each other and spoil all the fun and bite each other’s heads off until their mouths were stuffed like chipmunks and then they missed each other like crazy when Makayla went back home.

Camping was kind of boring this time…Linda & Bob couldn’t go afterall and no one else could on short notice. But I did enjoy the time I spent with the kids (when they were nice).

Next week is my vacation and I am SO SO SO ready!! Nothing big planned. C and I will be spending a lot of quality time together and if he gets it his way there will be a lot of cartoons involved. And if I get it my way there will be a lot of TLC, HGTV, and some good movies involved.

Holy smokes it’s been busy (story of my life). I had a really really great weekend and not one picture to prove it! After getting some unrealistic people that put me in tears by the end of Friday, I am much much better and the weekend only continued to get better.

Friday night my son found a new best friend. A co-worker came over who thought it would be ok to play just one game with my son. Ha! One game? Hello they’re like total BFF’s now and Caleb wants to do this and that and this and that. One game, never offer to play just ONE game with a seven year old, prepare for like 200!

Saturday I spent with the kids—went to the park by the river and watched Caleb float down then walk up, then float down, and walk up, and float down, and walk up…………..and float down, and walk up. We also enjoyed watching the tubers (which we are totally going to do) go down the river…one guy ‘s ice chest got away and was yelling and yelling for someone to catch it….other’s were a little more careful—one guy had a baby floatie with a shade tied to his tube and his ice chest inside. Smart guy! Protect the beer!

Later that night I had a bbq which no one showed up to except my two single cute friends, geee how ironic is that?? *smile* I swear I did not do this on purpose!

I haven’t laughed as much as I laughed Sat night in a long long time! It was that laugh were your ab muscles tighten up and you can’t breath and your face freezes! Half the time I didn’t even know what was so funny, but man it was hilarious! We all played some DDR (Dance Dance Revolution), Twister, and Yatzee!

Then Sunday, we finished off the weekend at the waterslides! Note to self…always bring a friend for your child. C got bored pretty quick cause I'm uncool and can’t run 50 mph in every direction. But then we ran into our friends and the boys all hung out and we all traded kids so we could go down the different slides!

C’s getting brave at his old age but still has some fear in him…so me being the sweet, sympathetic mother I am offered him $20 cash to go down the Black Widow (scary one). At first he said that no amount of money is worth facing his fear. And then he pulled out the Bible, THE BIBLE!—“The Bible says that money is not important!” No, I’m not going to hell, geese!

But after all day and much consideration, right as we were leaving he decided to do it. So he headed up the stairs, tube in hand while I waited at the bottom to witness his fear. (See, totally sympathetic!) They come flying out of there, Caleb stands up and screams with his arms up like a champ “That was Awesome!” Then he slowly walks over to me, looks at me like a long lost puppy would and says, “Do I still get the $20?” like he thought he wouldn’t since he loved it!